silly, silly boy

So, Colton told his first "joke" last night. I was getting him ready for bed. I put on his jammies, and he said, "I take a nap ... (pause) ... (silly smile) ... nooooooo!" (big grin)

This kid makes me laugh so many times a day. Sometimes, I hear him grunting and grunting ... only to find him reaching to get a toy or trying to climb somewhere. He makes this sound like it's the hardest task in the world! Other times, he says things that just crack me up. Today, he opened his toy chest and said, "Whoa! Look at all the cars!" Just the expression and complete sense of 'WOW' in his voice made me smile. Or, he'll try to jam a toy truck under the couch, and I'll hear him say, "Oh, no, truck! You're too big!" Or he'll talk to his trucks ... just now, he said, "Hello, truck! How are you doing?"

Sometimes he is the naughtiest boy ... he'll try my patience by stepping on something I told him not to step on ... or hovering his foot over it just to see what I will do. Other times, he will be frustrated with getting in trouble, and he will throw a toy as a reaction. Or he will run away to some couch or corner to hit the wall or the couch. Other times, I make him throw his fit in his room until he's done ... then he comes out usually with a huge grin and says, "HI, MOMMY!" Then I know it's over. I guess he's entering that stage of testing me.

Then he will make me so proud with his questions. Like ... just a minute ago, we heard a honking car outside. Colton said, "Who is that, Mommy?" Or yesterday, he heard me cleaning out a cabinet in the kitchen. From the living room he asked, "What is that, Mommy? What is that sound?"

Each night, as he lays in his bed (which is ever increasingly shrinking), I wonder how this baby boy got to be such a big boy. With his statements, jokes, reactions, questions, or incredi-Colton sounds (pow, pow! ka-boom! crash!, etc.), I realize that my new little baby will be the baby I remember having, and Cole ... well, he will be my big boy--growing and changing and showing me how smart his little brain is working each day.

I'm so thankful for each stage, but if I'm already sad about him growing up now ... and he's only 20 months ... how will I ever bear the real life changing moments to come?